I Shouldn't Have, but I Did
by XxLadyStrengthxX
Summary: "Mr. Ezra Fitz, you're under arrest for the statutory rape of Miss Aria Montgomery." - Ezra's thoughts and conversations while sitting in a Rosewood Prison cell. He may also receive a surprising, yet wanted visitor as well... - Aria/Ezra! Please R&R! :D
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've felt this sudden need to write this story because the idea has been floating around in my head for a while now... Here goes nothing... If it sucks, well, then it sucks. :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PLL. **

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><p>The Rosewood prison honestly needed an extreme makeover. Sure, it was a prison, but that didn't mean that the town could just not fund it in any way. Normally prisons had somewhat nice facilities, but Rosewood's was the spittin' image of those that came out of a movie or TV show. In fact, it shouldn't have even been called a prison, because in all reality, it was a <em>jail<em>. The small building was mainly where 'criminals' were kept overnight before being bailed out or transferred to the Philadelphia prison.

The lights blinked constantly, causing shadows to appear then vanish quickly before one's eyes. The floors and walls were dark stone that gave the appearance as if they were wet. However, some were actually wet from the busted pipes within the walls. The entire building was two rooms; the front being a small office where the guard passed time by TV, food, or even sleep, and the back was where the cells sat.

Toward the back of the jailhouse, Ezra Fitz sat on lumpy mattress that dared to call itself a bed. He cradled his head in his heads, feeling like the stupidest person to ever walk the planet, and only wanted to get out.

The young man could only blame himself for what had happened... They had always been so careful, but yet, it wasn't even careful enough. His apartment was their hiding place for the longest time, giving them a safe place to express their love without worrying about how the real world saw them. About ninety-nine percent of their time and memories were held there, and it just so happen to be where they got caught.

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><p>Ezra had been expecting her to arrive around six on a Friday evening, so he was preparing dinner for once in his life. There was a knock on his door, but it was not soft and quick like she always did, but rather a one, loud bang against the wood. He wiped his hands on a dish towel before tossing it over his shoulder quickly. Ezra made his way to the door and opened it with a smile, but it quickly fell at the sight before him.<p>

There stood Aria with a tear stained face, but she wasn't alone... A cop held her arm tightly with a stern expression. "Mr. Ezra Fitz, you're under arrest for the statutory rape of Miss Aria Montgomery." As the officer released his grip from Aria and made his way to handcuff Ezra, he added, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense." The dish towel fell to the floor as Mr. Fitz's face hit the wall from the officer's force.

"Ezra," he heard Aria croak out between sobs. "I'm so sorry... I had no idea how -"

Ezra gave her a look with his eyes that told her to stop talking since there was nothing he could do at the moment. Aria nodded in response, understanding where he was coming from. She continued to shake as she watched the love of her life's hands being bound tightly in metal, and Aria had to literally force herself to not push the cop out of the way and kiss Ezra with all that she had within her.

The police officer grasped Ezra's shoulder and forced him out the door as Aria followed, silently shutting the door to 3B behind her. When the three reached the parking lot, Ezra made eye contact with Byron Montgomery, who, by that point, had aggressively grabbed Aria's wrist. He obviously knew way more than Ezra did, because all the English teacher was aware of was that he was being taken to jail. There was no idea of _who_ had caught them in the act and turned them in...just that it had happened.

As the officer opened the police car door, Byron scowled at the sight of the man who had 'raped' his sixteen year old daughter, and forgot that he was suppose to be holding back that said daughter. Aria sprinted across the parking lot in her black, lacy dress and leather boots toward the spot where Ezra was.

_Judging by her outfit, she was obviously not expecting all this to be happening, but rather a romantic evening...and so was I..._ Ezra thought to himself at the sight of his girlfriend running at him. Just as the officer was about to duck Ezra's head into the squad car, Aria grabbed her boyfriend's face and forced their lips together. The kiss didn't last long because the cop tore them apart, but the couple needed it, not knowing where their relationship was headed.

Soon, Aria watched the cop car speed off into the night, as it carried her love to Rosewood Prison. She cried at the thought of never seeing him again, but quickly pushed it away with confidence. _No, I won't let things end this way. I will talk to him again, even if it's the last thing I ever do. _

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><p>Ezra ran a hand through his curly, black hair in frustration, and let out an angry huff as well.<p>

_I shouldn't have talked to her that first day in the bar... I shouldn't have hoisted her up onto that counter and made out with her... I shouldn't have invited her over to my apartment and given her advice about her parents... I shouldn't have come back from New York, but instead just stay there to make things less complicated... I shouldn't have begged her to forgive me, and then proceed to make out in the back of my car... _Ezra ran a hand over his face. _I shouldn't have taken away her teenage years and keep her selfishly to myself... But I did; I did all those things, and look where it's gotten us..._

"Well, what's got you so down, Man?" a husky voice asked from above. "Ya look like you wanna cry."

Ezra leaned forward to look above his bed, where another one was placed. There sat a scruffy man in about his late forties. "Excuse me?"

"Ya act like your whole world just ended, Dude; what happened?" the stranger asked as he jumped off the top bunk.

Ezra took a better look at his cellmate. He was built and tan with sandy, blonde hair. His arms were covered with several tattoos that made no sense and his right ear was pierced. "I - uh..."

The older man let out a loud, smoker laugh. "Jesus, sorry, Man! I'm being way too forward and we aren't even on a first name basis yet!" He held out a hand to shake. "Name's Tommy and you are?"

Ezra reached out and politely shook his hand in return. "Ezra."

Tommy let out another chuckle. "That's sounds like a pretty boy name. What you do for a livin', Son?"

"I - uh...teach English at Rosewood High School," the younger man answered. "And yourself?"

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "A teacher, huh? I bet you get the green real easily! As for me, I'm a handy man. I fix cars 'n shit like that."

"Sounds lovely," Ezra replied emotionlessly, but decided to change the topic of conversation. "Why are you here exactly?"

"My psycho ex-wife sued me for 'abuse'," Tommy answered with disgust. "I slap her ass playfully as a joke, and she calls the police... I actually got away from that, but they discovered a traffic ticket I never paid, so now I'm stuck in this hell hole until my brother gets in town to bail me out. How 'bout you, Pretty Boy? Did ya wear the wrong shoes to the country club?" He snorts out a laugh at his own joke.

Ezra resisted the urge to punch him and simply said, "I was having an affair with my student."

Tommy's eyes widened. "Damn! How did that happen?"

"We met before I knew I was her teacher, and just hit it off. We tried breaking it a few times, but it never worked out... We always just found our way back to each other, but someone turned us in, and I have no idea who because they won't tell me..." Ezra sighed, once again running a hand through his hair.

"How old was she?" the burly man questioned out of curiosity.

"Sixteen, but it never was an issue when we were together..."

Silence filled the cell quickly as Tommy digested the unique story. "Is she hot?"

Ezra's head shot up to glare at the man in front of him, but his stare soon softened and he leaned back against the hard wall. "Beautiful beyond anyone or anything you could imagine...and this may sound somewhat creepy and corny, but I love her with all my heart and would do anything for her..."

Before Tommy could respond, the guard appeared and bellowed, "Fitz, you've got a visitor."

A small figure stepped out from behind the tall guard and smiled, clutching her jacket closer around her body. Ezra stood from his bed and practically leaped to the bars that stood as a barrier between them. He reached his arms through and caressed her face softly, finally feeling a sense of peace. "Aria..."

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><p><strong>AN: This will be a two-shot (maybe three, but I'm not sure yet), and the next chapter will be Aria telling Ezra who turned them in. **

**I wanna try to get 7 reviews before I post the next chapter, but anything more than that would be AWESOME! **

**So, please review, haha! :D**

**Thanks!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, erm, thank you for the 25 reviews on the first chapter...that's pretty much quadrupling my requested amount! XD Seriously though, I can't believe how much positive response I got for this story! It was truly overwhelming! :D The reason I wrote it was because it is indeed different, and it will continue to be as the chapters progress(: Well, here we go! Chapter 2 is ready for you...**

**Disclaimer: PLL isn't mine... *sigh***

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><p>She smiled at his familiar touch, but silently took a quick peek toward the direction where the guard once stood. However, he was gone, and obviously not concerned about a teenage girl trying anything to jailbreak either man behind bars. "Hi," Aria whispered shyly. She was still wearing her outfit he had seen her in hours ago, but her hair was a little messy and her makeup was smeared from tears.<p>

"Hey," Ezra replied back just as quietly.

They were interrupted by a low voice. "Damn, Ezra, she is hot!"

Ezra whipped his head around to find Tommy standing and peering over his shoulder to look at Aria. He sighed, "Tommy, do you mind?"

The older man rolled his eyes. "You have no sense of humor, Man."

Ezra ran a hand through his hair slowly and took a deep breath. "Given the circumstances, nothing is funny at the moment." When Tommy shook his head and climbed back to the top bunk, he turned back to Aria and continued, "What are you doing here? I mean, I love that you came to see me and all, but how –"

"I SOS'd Hanna to pick me up," Aria answered. "I sneaked out, knowing there was no way in hell that my parents would let me go willingly. They figured out that the girls were always my alibis, so I couldn't use that as an excuse..."

Ezra cringed at the word 'parents', meaning that Ella knew what had happened as well. He already saw how Byron felt about the situation and extremely hoped that Ella would be a bit more understanding. Realization soon hit Ezra once more: _Hanna. _"I take it that your friends know about us too, considering Hanna brought you here."

Aria suddenly took a deep interest in the floor by fixing her eyes on it. "Yeah, they've known for a while actually...since Hanna was hit by the car."

Ezra only nodded in response. Her friends knowing was at the least of his worries at the moment, unless it was one of the three girls who had turned them in. "Who did this to us?"

Her head shot up, exposing unshed tears in her eyes. Aria grabbed the bars tightly in her hands and said through gritted teeth, "The bitch known as A."

Noticing how white her knuckles were becoming, Ezra lightly released her hands and held them in his. "Who the hell is this person, because if you know, then I swear I will kill them."

Aria attempted to laugh, but it came out as a choked sob. "Don't do that... It will just get you into even more trouble." He chuckled with her a little, but stopped when she added, "I was heading out to my car when the police arrived and asked me to step back inside. At first, I thought they were going to question me about Ali's case like they always do, but instead..."

"Instead what?" he asked, wanting her to continue.

Aria took a deep breath. "They brought up your name and A in the same sentence, causing me to nearly faint. Plus, they had my parents in the room, which totally made the entire situation awkward... They had proof of us together, Ezra, so there was no way of denying anything."

Ezra knitted his eyebrows together. "What type of proof?"

A deep shade of red rose to Aria's face, obviously embarrassed by what was given to the authorities. "Um, pictures of us from _that day_ in the back of your classroom."

"Oh." Ezra knew exactly which day that had been.

"Yeah, and when I asked who gave them the pictures, the only thing they got was a note with the letter A on it," Aria spat in disgust.

His eyes widened. "That's it? Did they ask you any questions?"

"They tried to, but I told them that I refused to answer any without a lawyer present. My parents were a little shocked by my maturity in it, but I ignored them. Next thing I know, the cops took me to their car and we were driving. I thought we were going to the station, but we ended up at your apartment, and you know the rest..." Aria explained painfully. She tilted his chin up to make eye contact with him since he had looked away. "Have you been okay?"

Ezra nodded. "I'm holding up just fine; don't worry about me."

Aria gasped in shock. "I can't _not_ worry about you, Ezra! You're in jail and it's all my fault!" Tears freely fell down her face, continuing to cover her cheeks with more smeared mascara.

"Aria," Ezra said, much like the night she had told him about 'The Jenna Thing'. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this! We will get through it together; we've always have."

"And if we don't?" she asked.

Ezra's lips made a firm line as he reached his arms through the bars to wipe her tears away. "We will," he confirmed. "I promise you that."

She hesitantly nodded, hoping he would follow through. "I forgot to tell you that your trial is in a week. With Rosewood being a small town and all, they can get us in quickly," Aria informed as her sobs subsided. "My dad said that's what the second cop told him while the other was…arresting you."

Ezra nodded. "Okay."

Aria sighed, then joked, "I need to go; Hanna's probably left me by now."

"Aria..." He guided her face to his. "I love you, no matter what happens."

Smiling at him, she said, "I love you, too, Ezra. I'll see you soon." She gave a small wave while backing away from the cell, and then turned to walk down the stone hallway.

Ezra stayed near the bars until the clicking from the heels of her boots could no longer be heard. He huffed and plopped down on the bottom bunk, deciding that he might as well attempt to sleep since there was nothing else better to do.

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><p><em>One Week Later<em>

He had been transferred to the Philadelphia prison two days later, where his cell was a lot nicer than Rosewood's, but could still use some work. He wore an orange jumpsuit, ate disgustingly mashed food, and occasionally worked out at the gym. Ezra could describe his one week there as the definition of boredom. Writing poems and short stories use to be his hobby and joy in life, but now they were just a way to kill time.

What bothered him the most, however, was the fact that he hadn't spoke to or seen Aria in a full seven days. But he would soon, for an officer was driving him to the Rosewood Courthouse on a Friday evening. His trial was to begin in about half an hour with himself, his lawyer, Aria, and a few members in the crowd present.

He was led into the courthouse handcuffed, much to his surprise. _I'm not a murderer, for Christ's sake!_ he thought while being pushed through the small aisle forcefully. When Ezra reached his chair at the front of the courtroom, the cop released him from the metal. Rubbing his wrists slightly, the English teacher surveyed the room looking for Aria, but she was nowhere to be found.

Mrs. Hastings walked up to the table, holding out her hand as a greeting, which Ezra politely shook. Spencer's mother had agreed to take this case after much of her daughter's pleading, even though she wasn't exactly comfortable with the whole situation. She sat in the chair next to Ezra and opened her briefcase to reveal many different papers that were supposedly going to help Ezra clear his name. After all, that's what she was being paid for...

Suddenly, a stern looking bailiff stood at the front of the courtroom. "All rise...this court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Oxford presiding."

Every occupant stood to their feet as a man with silvery gray hair took his seat at the head of the room. To Ezra he looked like a man who hated his job and only did it because it paid well. The expression on his face resembled a scowl and beads of sweat were already appearing at the edge of his forehead. "Please be seated," his smooth, yet powerful voice boomed throughout the room, causing everyone to obey his order. "We're here on the account of Mr. Ezra Fitz's actions with one of his students. It says here that he is an AP English teacher at Rosewood High just out of Hollis College..."

Judge Oxford's eyes skimmed across Ezra's file silently but swiftly. "No criminal background of any kind, good... However, this case is honestly quite interesting. In all my years of being at this stand, I have never stumbled across anything like this," he admitted, and unfortunately caught eye contact with Ezra. "And you must be Mr. Fitz!"

"Yes, Your Honor," Ezra confirmed with a shaky voice from a lump forming in his throat.

Judge Oxford gave a large, sarcastic smile. "Well, no wonder you took the heart of a student; you're quite handsome, if I do say so myself. What's your secret?"

Mrs. Hastings put a hand in front of Ezra. "Do _not_ answer that question."

He obeyed and remained silent, causing the judge to huff in annoyance. "Alright, since no one, with the exception of _me_, here wants to make this case light-hearted, we'll get down to business then. Aria Montgomery to the stand!" Judge Oxford barked aggressively.

Ezra held his breath as he turned his head to see Aria stand slowly and smooth out her dark purple dress. She made her way to the front of the courtroom with her head held high, and he could practically see the determination in her eyes on the situation laid out before her. Never did she make any move to look at him, though, as she stepped between the aisles and past the table in which he sat.

He finally let go of the drawn in breath, knowing that he had a long day ahead of him.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so this is basically a filler chapter. Number three is going to be INTENSE, because I did a little research on Pennsylvania laws... Oh boy, it's going to be interesting. Haha :P**

**Again, I don't think I can express my happiness for the amount of reviews this story has received! Y'all are the BEST! :D I really would appreciate if you all reviewed chapter 2 as well, but if you don't... Oh well :P I wanna go for 35 reviews TOTAL, so at least 10 on this chapter before I post the next one...and remember, you aren't going to want to miss that! ;)**

**Thank you to randomness 101-Fanfic Freak for clearing up whether it was Mr. Hastings or Mrs. Hastings that was the lawyer...so, I went back and changed it! :)**

**Thank you all again and don't forget to review!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: AH! Y'all are so amazing, that it's indescribable! XD I got 5 less on chapter 2 than on chapter 1, but hey, I'm not complaining whatsoever! Twenty reviews is still fantastic, and not to mention exciting! Alright, here's where things become a little heated, and I'm going to apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge on how the court system works. (I want to major in English, not history... Oh, sound familiar? (; ) Anyways, all the info I collected is purely resources from the internet...no libraries were harmed in the making of this chapter. :P **

**Disclaimer: I do not own PLL, nor do I own the State of Pennsylvania and their laws...we'll leave that to the smarter people! XP**

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><p>Aria reached the small podium in front of Judge Oxford and looked to him to confirm that she was ready to begin. The usher then made his way over to the dark haired teenager and said, "Please state your name for the court."<p>

"Aria Christine Montgomery," she answered with all the pride within her.

"Raise your right hand, please," the usher responded. After Aria did so, he continued, "Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

She hesitated for the slightest second, and Ezra could have sworn she glanced to her right to look at him, but it went by too fast for him to be sure. "I swear."

The usher nodded and went back to his respected spot to the side. Judge Oxford turned his attention to Aria. "Welcome, my dear; how are you today?"

Aria made no effort of showing emotion when she replied with, "Peachy."

This caused the judge to chuckle lightly. "Well, looks like we have us a feisty one here! However, you are quite beautiful and look much older than...how old are you again?"

She scrunched her nose. "Sixteen, Your Honor."

"Sixteen," he repeated, running a hand over his small beard. "Again, you're quite beautiful."

"I appreciate the flattery, Your Honor, but I don't think it will help us speed up the case in any way," Aria admitted, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the older man above her.

Ezra snorted from his seat at his girlfriend's remark; however, he wasn't aware at how loud it had been, and that it would draw the attention of everyone in the room.

Judge Oxford folded his hands on his podium and spoke to Ezra, "Do you have something to add to Miss Montgomery's comment, Mr. Fitz, or can we continue?"

Ezra cleared his throat in embarrassment. "No, Your Honor, please forgive me." The judge nodded and looked back to Aria, who was busy giving Ezra a sympathetic smile.

"Miss Montgomery, if you would please..." Judge Oxford offered with a gesture of his hand to move on. "Start from the beginning, my dear."

"Um, yes, Ez - I mean, Mr. Fitz and I met at a bar… I wasn't drinking, just eating a cheeseburger… Near Hollis College a few months ago...to be more specific, it was the day before I went back to school. Being the only two there, besides the bartender, we started to converse casually," Aria explained as thoroughly as she could.

"About what?" the judge inquired.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I had just returned from Europe, so that, but also our interests - the main one being English. He had just graduated college and was going to begin his first teaching job. I didn't ask where, though, because he had already asked me what I was majoring in."

The judge quirked an eyebrow. "But you weren't majoring in anything because you were still in high school, correct?" he confirmed.

"Right, but it's not every day that an..._attractive_...older guy talks to you; I didn't want to scare him away, so I said I was leaning toward English. Never did I answer the question with affirmation in my tone."

"Okay..." Judge Oxford said as he absorbed all the information given so far. "What happened next?"

"We, uh -" she paused, knowing that the part coming was never told to anyone, but it was court... "W-we made out in the bathroom for a while, and then went our separate ways after exchanging phone numbers."

Ezra closed his eyes, remembering the first day they had met, but quickly pushed it from his mind when he heard the judge speak again, "So, the following day, you go to school and he's at the front of the classroom introducing himself as your new English teacher."

"Exactly," Aria said, gazing down at the floor. "We talked about_ us_ afterwards, and agreed that we would attempt to make it work. It was rough, but we managed to keep it up until he left for New York."

Hearing the pain in her voice during that moment, Ezra mentally slapped himself for ever leaving her. Judge Oxford asked, "Why'd he leave?"

"He thought that, maybe, if he was to get a job somewhere else, there'd be a chance to be together."

"Hmm, I see," the judge mumbled as he stroked his beard again. "New York, you say... Were you two planning on running away together?"

"No, that was never a topic we discussed. When he returned, we talked, and I eventually forgave him. We've been together ever since, but things have been rocky, us being in a forbidden relationship and all," Aria answered, absentmindedly playing with her nails.

"Talked about what when he returned?"

"Why he left, and I already explained that," Aria replied with annoyance. Ezra feared that she was becoming impatient, and that couldn't happen in court. Something might slip out of her mouth that wasn't supposed to be said.

Deciding to move along, Judge Oxford remained silent as he shuffled through some papers he was given. "This proof," he said, indicating to the pictures. "...is the main reason we are here. Miss Montgomery, you are aware that sexual intercourse with this man is very much illegal?"

"Objection, Your Honor!" Mrs. Hastings yelled as she abruptly stood to her feet. "I find that statement to be very untrue!"

The small crowd began to murmur at the sudden outburst. Several eye glances were exchanged between Aria and Ezra, both confirming that each had absolutely no idea what Mrs. Hastings had up her sleeve.

Judge Oxford brought his gavel hard against the wood. "Order!" He then turned to Mrs. Hastings. "Ma'am, you do not have the floor; please be seated!"

Spencer's mother shot an intense glare to the judge before finding her chair once more. The crowd had quickly become silent at the sound of the gavel, giving Judge Oxford the chance to continue. "Miss Montgomery, the pictures were sent in by someone known as 'A'; do you have an idea of who this person would be?"

"No, Your Honor, the only name that comes to mind is Alison, and we all know she is very much -" Aria swallowed hard. "-_dead_."

"Indeed she is, but have you had any other contact with this 'A' person before these pictures?"

Aria's eyes widened at the question at hand. _What do I say? I don't want to bring the police into this; it will just pull the girls down with me!_ She looked over her shoulder to see Hanna, Emily, and Spencer staring intently at her. She gave them a look of desperation, needing an answer fast. The three other teen girls glanced at one another briefly, before turning toward the shortest of their group and nodding.

Aria turned back to the judge and sighed. "Yes, this stranger has been harassing me about the relationship since the first day of school, but I still have no idea who they could be." She decided to keep the rest of the girls out since it was irrelevant to the case.

Judge Oxford nodded his head in understanding. "Aria," he began, using her first name this time. "I have one more question for you before moving on to Mr. Fitz. That being, would you consider your relationship with your teacher as a loving one? What I'm trying to say is, do you find yourself in love with this man?"

Once again, Ezra found himself holding his breath as he waited for her reaction. He knew that she did love him, but hearing it come from her mouth with many witnesses around would be mind-blowing. Aria held her head high as she said, "Yes, I am in love with my AP English teacher, Mr. Fitz, and I am _not_ ashamed to express it."

"Thank you, Miss Montgomery, you are dismissed," Judge Oxford announced. Aria bowed her head a bit before walking back to her seat with the girls as quickly as possible. "The floor recognizes the representation of Mr. Ezra Fitz."

Mrs. Hastings stands calmly. "Thank you, Your Honor. Now, I would like to go back to the comment of this man and young lady have sexual intercourse and how it is illegal. Your Honor, being a man of the government, you are reliable for knowing the laws, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am, I am; your point is?" the judge asked curiously. "Are you suggesting that I do not know the fulfillments that my career requires?"

Mrs. Hastings gave him a daring smile. "Maybe I am, Your Honor, for if you really knew the laws of Pennsylvania, then you would be aware that this is not considered statutory sexual assault or any type of rape."

Judge Oxford was baffled. "Nonsense!"

"I have proof from the very capital of Pennsylvania, Your Honor," Mrs. Hastings informed, holding up a stack of governmental documents. "Care to take a look?"

As Mrs. Hastings walked to the podium, Aria, in the back of the courtroom, leaned over and whispered to Spencer, "How did your mom manage to snag that?"

Hanna rolled her eyes and replied quietly, "It's the Hastings, Aria; what do you think she did? She paid for it, of course!"

Spencer narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to protest, but instead slumped back into her seat and mumbled, "Yeah, she probably did..."

Back at the front of the room, Judge Oxford refused to take the papers, and requested that Mrs. Hastings be the one to read it. She smirked, "From the PENNSYLVANIA CONSOLIDATED STATUTES: CRIMES AND OFFENSES, part two, chapter thirty-one, subchapter B, section 3122.1, statutory sexual assault is, and I quote, 'when that person engages in sexual intercourse with a complainant under the age of 16 years and that person is four or more years older than the complainant and the complainant and the person are not married to each other.' Do you see the difference, Your Honor?"

"I certainly see the problem, ma'am. Mr. Fitz is indeed four or more years older than Miss Montgomery," Judge Oxford stated confidently.

"You are correct, Your Honor; however, Miss Montgomery is sixteen years old. This section states that the compliant is _under _the age of sixteen. Plus, the age of consent in Pennsylvania is sixteen. For this to be accounted as sexual assault, both the age difference and Aria's age must be in play, but only one is being violated," Mrs. Hastings argued.

Ezra sat at the edge of his seat in anxiety, as was the rest of the crowd. They soon began to mumble to each other again, causing the room to be filled with noise very quickly. Many were discussing the fact that the judge was not even aware of these laws, and that it seemed ridiculous. "Order! Order in the court!" Judge Oxford demanded as he pounded his gavel harshly. The noise immediately dissolved into nothing as the result of the anger in the older man's voice. "I see your point, ma'am, and I frankly have embarrassed myself by not knowing that these regulations were in play. After hearing this news, I have made a decision."

No one in the room moved.

"By a legal stand point, Ezra Fitz will not be going to jail."

Ezra broke out into a goofy grin. _Oh, thank God!_

The judge continued sternly, "However, him being a teacher of Miss Montgomery, there must be consequences given on that account."

_Shit._

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so, I'm sorry that this was a lot of dialogue...but court is practically all talk. That judge was pretty stupid, if you ask me. Again, I don't know all the ways of the court, so if this was way too fast of a case, then oh well. It's not completely over, that's why I left you with a cliffhanger(; Also, I have absolutely NO idea how I managed to come up with so many 'smart' words and arguments for Mrs. Hastings and the judge :P**

**I took Aria's middle name from another story I read, but I can't remember which one it was, so I can't give credit...but I do not claim it as my own.**

**Please review! I wanna get 60 reviews total, so 15 on this chapter, por favor. I have faith in all of you because y'all haven't let me down yet! Be looking for chapter 4 soon(:**

**Thanks a bunches!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sooo sorry for not updating quickly! I had to work, babysit, and go to cheer & basketball practice. Then my boyfriend and I broke up****...****and I eventually got sick. It hasn't been an eventful week, except for the fact that PLL came back on last night! (I had a party; it was sooo much fun!) **

**When Ezra opened that door...with no shirt on...all my friends looked at me to see my reaction. I smiled widely and yelled, "I will keep my composure!" XD Needless to say, I didn't :P**

**Here we go: Chapter 4!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PLL...**

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><p>All happiness that Ezra had built up from Mrs. Hastings' arguments immediately fell. He silently scorned himself for thinking, even for the slightest second, that he would leave this courthouse as a free man. Things didn't come that easy, especially given the situation at hand, and Ezra Fitz knew there was no way in hell that punishment was going to be excused.<p>

"Mr. Ezra Fitz, you are officially stripped of your teaching license. Not even a suspension; it will never be of any use from this day forward," Judge Oxford announced with a hint of mischief in his eye. "That being said, the Rosewood ISD will be given notice about your status, and I assume that since you will have no license, you will indeed be fired."

With his jaw tightened in frustration, Ezra slouched in the wooden chair slowly. Realization sunk in that he would have no job for an amount of time, and he had absolutely idea on how long it would take for him to find another one.

Noticing the expression Ezra held, Judge Oxford's face softened the tiniest bit. "I'm sorry, but this must be the result. If I were you, I'd be happy, Mr. Fitz... Life without a teaching license seems more durable than life within a prison cell, don't you agree?"

Ezra looked up to make eye contact with the older man in front of him. "I suppose you're right, Your Honor."

From the back bench, Hanna scoffed before whispering, "Yeah, right for the first time during the entire case." Aria glared at her intensely, which caused Hanna to ask, "What?"

Spencer elbowed Hanna right into the side of her stomach and, with widened eyes, very clearly mouthed 'stop'. After an over-exaggerated eye roll, Hanna obliged and turned her attention back to the case.

"Well, now I believe we have established everything that needs to be. Court dismissed!" Judge Oxford exclaimed with another pound of his gavel, and then stood up to exit the room quickly.

"Bring in the dancing lobsters!" Hanna added in for humor, which surprisingly caused Aria to burst out laughing. However, her giggles vanished immediately when her gaze caught Ezra's at the front of the courtroom.

"I-I'll see you guys in a minute," she said slowly, never breaking eye contact with her teacher. Before the other girls had a chance to respond, Aria was weaving her way through the small aisle full of people. She slightly felt bad for pushing and shoving complete strangers, but the closer Aria came to Ezra, the more she forgot about her surroundings.

Ezra walked a few feet to meet her at the end of the aisle, and they both stared at each other wordlessly, only communicating with their eyes. Both were full of confusion; however, desire was clearly dominant. Without even thinking twice, Aria threw herself at Ezra, lifting her arms up to secure them around his neck. Ezra's hands absentmindedly found the small of her back, forcing their bodies to crush against one another. With no room between them, Aria's lips found Ezra's in a searing kiss, causing gasps to escape the mouths of those around them.

The couple didn't hear them, however, as they continued to pour out their passion for one another freely. It was what they had wanted all along, and since they finally had it, there was no excuse to _not_ take advantage of it.

Aria's hand gripped the baby hairs at the nape of Ezra's neck, which freed a moan of pleasure from his mouth. She smiled within the kiss, finally feeling some sort of satisfaction and hope that they could somewhat be a _normal_ couple. Kissing in the middle of a public establishment was just the beginning in Aria's book.

Ezra reluctantly pulled away and opened his eyes to see a blushed, swollen-lipped Aria before him. Both were breathing heavily as they looked around to see the entire audience of the case lingering around the room; all had stayed to watch the once forbidden couple's reaction unfold. Expressions were obvious.

Many were of anger, as if they still were not comfortable with an adult's relationship with a teenage girl. Some were shocked, while others were even expressionless. The smallest percentage was of happiness; from those who seemed to approve of the information Mrs. Hastings had given, and then had their hearts tugged at.

Aria and Ezra gazed back at one another, and then he suggested, "We should talk about where things will go from here."

She sighed in response and titled her head to the side, indicating for him to sit down. They took a seat at the table which Ezra had sat at during the case. "I figure you have to be taken back to the Philly Prison soon, so you can't go anywhere..."

Ezra's lips formed a thin line as he nodded in confirmation. "Here is just fine."

Aria's lips twitched into a small smile before she turned her head to see who remained in the room. After the kiss ended, many people left the courtroom, finding nothing else to watch that would be interesting. Aria's parents, as well as the girls, lingered behind, waiting to see whether she was planning on leaving any time soon. "We need to talk; I'll be out in ten minutes," Aria informed.

Hanna, Spencer, and Emily all took her words as a promise as they left the room without speaking. Ella began exiting as well, but noticed that Byron continued to stare at the couple. Ella pulled at his arm slightly. "Byron, honey, come on. She'll come when they're finished." Aria's father didn't budge the slightest bit. "Byron!" she hissed through her teeth.

Byron sighed as he turned to look at his wife. Tears were brimming at the edge of his eyes as he whispered, "That's my baby girl in there, and she's in love with a _man_."

"I know," Ella comforted in a hushed tone, rubbing her hand slowly down her husband's arm. "But she's still your baby girl..."

"If only I could believe that... Let's just go," he said roughly, before brushing past Ella's shoulder and storming down the quiet hallway. Ella Montgomery's eyes softened with sadness before silently following Byron out to the car.

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><p>Ezra gently took Aria's hand in his, interlocking their fingers and pressing a soft kiss the back of her hand. Aria smiled tenderly as she watched the man in front of her treat her so lovingly. "We did it," she said.<p>

"We did it," he repeated with just as much happiness. "We can be open; no more hiding, no more secrets, and it only cost me a stupid teaching license."

Aria's smile fell, and she released her hand from Ezra's hold. "You say it like it's no big deal, though."

Ezra shrugged innocently. "It really isn't, if you think about it. Aria, I could've gone to jail for what would've been twenty years. Don't you think things worked out the best way probable?"

"It's just-" she huffed in annoyance with herself. "-teaching is your passion! You spent four years of your life working to get a degree in education, not to mention all the money of college, and now after a few months of actually being a teacher...you can never do it again!" Hot tears in her eyes found their way down her cheeks, leaving small streak stains as they fell.

"Okay, let me correct that _entire_ sentence," Ezra began as he wiped her face free from smeared makeup. "Teaching isn't my passion; _you_ are my passion. Those four years were a time that I really did not care about… I only paid attention in my English classes… I messed around with Hardy way too often, and broke up then got back together with Jackie so many times that I would forget that I even had classes to go to... Now that you mention it, I don't even know how I graduated... And Aria, it was _Hollis_; the cost was cheaper than a tank of gas."

Aria giggled shyly at his comment. "You probably only graduated because you are so pretty."

"Har. Har," Ezra replied sarcastically. "Sure, I do love teaching, but it's not the only job out there. I can find something else easily, maybe even a columnist for the 'Rosewood Journal'. All I know is that we are going to be able to go eat at actual restaurants together without worrying about being caught."

"We can go to the movies, too," Aria added, leaning forward a bit.

Ezra moved to meet eye level with her. "And hold hands while walking down the sidewalk."

"Stop in the middle of the sidewalk to kiss freely." After saying that, Ezra brought a finger under Aria's chin and pulled her lips to his. The kiss was gentle, yet passionate as the couple took the moment in. However, Aria pulled back and hesitantly asked, "Aren't you afraid of the rumors people will spread? What about the looks we'll get or the whispering we'll hear?"

Ezra chuckles. "Aria, Rosewood is a small town where the residents have nothing else better to do than talk about other people. I believe it's because they're bored with their own lives, so they have to be so into others in order to breathe. I honestly don't care what people say, think, or do about us. We _won_, if you think about it. All we've ever wanted is to go have a cup of coffee outside of my apartment, and we are able to do that now, plus so much more. I know this may sound crazy, but I am honestly grateful to 'A'."

Aria's eyes widened in shock. "What? Why?"

"If I hadn't gotten arrested, we never would've had this case, and this case is where we found out that you are actually of the legal age. If 'A' hadn't turned us in, we could still be sneaking around and being hauled up while hiding every little chance we had. I find it better that all this happened," Ezra admitted as he once again took Aria's hands in his.

He gave a gentle, reassuring squeeze at the expression on Aria's face. She seemed determined, yet somewhat confused. "I just think it's going to be hard for a while, that's all."

"I agree, but sooner or later, something else more interesting will happen, and everyone will be hyped up about that. We'll be the highlight for a while, but things will die down soon enough," Ezra promised. "But you don't need to focus so much on the negative side of things, Aria, but rather the positive, okay?"

Aria finally locked eyes with him and truely smiled. "Okay, you're right."

He stood up, causing her to follow since their hands were grasped together tightly. "I'll have a job in no time, people will move on with their sad lives, and we'll just let the chips fall where they may." Ezra leaned over slightly to press a light kiss to her forehead. "There is absolutely _nothing_ to worry about."

The couple began to walk near the door to meet her parents and friends, but they were interrupted by a ring coming from Aria's phone. She gasped in horror at the realization of who had actually sent the message.

_New Text Message  
><em>_From: Unknown_

_Damn, I really thought I was finished with you two. Looks like I didn't do my research like a good student should. But don't worry__,__ Aria; you and Fitz haven't seen the last of me. So enjoy your love life...for now anyway. -A_

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><p><strong>AN: Bam, finished with the story! :D Yeah, so it was all happy and positive until 'A' came along. I hope I did the ending justice, because I've started this chapter about four times and just couldn't get it where I wanted it to go. I like this one a lot, so hopefully you do too!**

**Thank you all so much for the AWESOME support and feedback for this story! I really like how you all responded to the fact that this was certainly reality and not some story where they live happily ever after with a baby on the way... Not that I don't like that story line because I do! I read every single one that is written! :P**

**Okay, I'm rambling! Please, please, please review!**

**Thanks again sooo much!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**

**P.S. Shout out to randomness 101-Fanfic freak. She's my new PM buddy(:**


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